Stem Cell Fillings Could ‘Put an End to Root Canals’
Dental fillings with stem cell technology have recently been announced by researchers, which could put an end to root canals forever. This technology allows to teeth to regenerate, building up new, healthy teeth.
The technology, developed by the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom and the Wyss Institute at Harvard, uses stem cells to help your teeth actually regrow. Using the technology, it stimulates dentin, the material your teeth are made out of of, and encourages them to form anew.
This could be an amazing breakthrough for anyone who despises sitting in the dental chair and having their teeth drilled–which is likely anyone and everyone.
This method could also be used to treat cavities, as the current method used actually damages the existing tooth as it helps restore it for practical use. Currently, the decayed part of the tooth is drilled out, and then a filling is put in place. This new technology would allow people to essentially regrow the decayed portions of their teeth, eliminating the need for the dreaded dental drill.
Adam Celiz of the University of Nottingham stated:
“Existing dental fillings are toxic to cells and are therefore incompatible with pulp tissue inside the tooth. In cases of dental pulp disease and injury a root canal is typically performed to remove the infected tissues.
We have designed synthetic biomaterials that can be used similarly to dental fillings but can be placed in direct contact with pulp tissue to stimulate the native stem cell population for repair and regeneration of pulp tissue and the surrounding dentin.”
The research picked up second prize at the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Emerging Technologies Competition 2016, showing a real need and desire for such an amazing technology.
Currently, scientists are working within the dental industry to help bring the technology to mainstream dental clinics, but it may take a while before you’re offered a stem cell filling over a regular one.
Kyle Viving of the Wyss Institute at Harvard University said of their new technology:
“We are excited about the promise of therapeutic biomaterials for bringing regenerative medicine to restorative dentistry.”
Sources:
Research continues to show that stem cells could be harnessed for therapeutic purposes.
Stem Cells: The ultimate goal of stem cell therapy is to activate “endogenous” stem cells—those existing in the patient’s own body. In Nature, Ronald McKay of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke reported on a model of stem cell expansion that may help realize this goal. Activation of a receptor known as Notch induces a chain of events that promotes the survival of neural stem cells. When adult rats were treated with a molecule that locks into the Notch receptor, they showed increased numbers of progenitor cells and improved motor skills after an experimental stroke injury. The work suggests a method for stem cell expansion both in culture and in a host animal receiving transplants, possibly even turning stem cells back on. The stem cell field continues to flourish but the studies above indicate how much we still do not know. Directing the development of stem cells to become specific cell types (nerve cells, or glia) and not to become cancer cells remains the big challenge.
I suppose the question now would be for the person who was going to benefit from this would they put aside ethical considerations like the destruction of human embryos to make the stem cells, in order to have new teeth?